Can I collect Washington ESD unemployment if I receive a pension?

You can still collect unemployment even with a pension in Washington state. The pension won't automatically disqualify you, but Washington ESD will reduce your weekly benefit amount by the portion of the pension that's attributable to employer contributions. So if your employer contributed to that pension, they'll deduct a percentage from your UI benefits.

I went through this exact situation last year. Washington ESD will ask you to report the pension on your weekly claims. They calculate the deduction based on what they call the 'base period' - basically they look at when you earned the pension credits vs when you're claiming UI benefits. It's confusing but they walk you through it.

This whole pension thing is such a hassle with Washington ESD. I've been trying to get through to someone for weeks to clarify my situation but their phone lines are always busy. Has anyone found a way to actually talk to a real person there?

Wait, I'm confused. Does this apply to all pensions or just certain types? I have a 401k from my old job - is that considered a pension for Washington ESD purposes?

The Washington ESD pension rules are actually pretty fair compared to some other states. At least they don't completely cut off your benefits if you have any pension income. They just reduce it proportionally.

OP, make sure you report the pension income on your initial application. Don't wait until they ask about it later because that can cause overpayment issues. I learned that the hard way and had to deal with Washington ESD collections for months.

Does anyone know if Social Security counts as a pension for this purpose? I'm thinking about taking early SS at 62 but don't want it to mess up my unemployment eligibility.

I'm dealing with something similar but with a military pension. Anyone know if that's treated the same way by Washington ESD?

The whole system is so complicated. I wish Washington ESD would just have clearer guidelines posted online instead of making us guess about these things.

For what it's worth, I called Washington ESD about my pension situation and the agent was actually really helpful once I got through. She explained everything clearly and helped me calculate the deduction. Maybe try using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier if you're having trouble getting through.

Just want to add that if you're unsure about your pension documentation, it's better to provide too much information than too little when filing with Washington ESD. They can always ignore what they don't need.

One thing to watch out for - if your pension amount changes (like gets a cost of living adjustment), you need to report that to Washington ESD right away. It could affect your benefit calculation.

OP, you should also make sure you're meeting the job search requirements even with the pension. Washington ESD still expects you to be actively looking for work regardless of other income sources.

The math on pension deductions can be tricky. Washington ESD uses a formula based on your base period wages and the timing of when you earned the pension credits. If you're not comfortable calculating it yourself, definitely get help from an agent.

Just curious - does anyone know if the pension deduction applies to the waiting week too, or only to the weeks you actually receive benefits?

Bottom line for OP - yes you can collect unemployment with a pension, but expect some reduction in your weekly benefit amount. The good news is Washington ESD is usually pretty reasonable about working with you to figure out the right calculation.

I'm in a similar situation but with a teacher's retirement pension from California that I'm receiving while living in Washington now. Does anyone know if out-of-state pensions are treated the same way by Washington ESD? I'm worried they might not have the right information to calculate the employer contribution portion since it's from a different state system.

I had a similar experience with an old pension from a unionized job. One tip that really helped me was to contact the union office if your pension came from a union job - they often keep better records than individual employers and can provide the exact breakdown of employer vs employee contributions that Washington ESD needs. Also, if you can't find the original pension documents, most pension administrators are required by law to provide annual statements, so you can request copies going back to when you started receiving benefits. It might cost a small fee but it's worth it to avoid any delays or assumptions that could reduce your UI benefits more than necessary.

Just wanted to share my recent experience for anyone dealing with pension issues and Washington ESD. I had a small pension from a retail job I worked 25 years ago, and I was really stressed about how it would affect my unemployment benefits. After reading through all these helpful comments, I decided to be completely upfront about it when I filed my initial claim. Washington ESD was actually really professional about the whole thing - they walked me through exactly what documents I needed and explained the calculation process clearly. It did take about 2 weeks longer to process my claim because of the pension verification, but like someone mentioned earlier, they backdated all my payments to when I first filed. The reduction wasn't as bad as I feared either - they only deducted about 25% of my pension amount from my weekly UI benefits because most of my pension was from my own contributions. My advice is definitely to report it upfront and gather as much documentation as you can beforehand. The peace of mind is worth it, and Washington ESD seems to really appreciate honesty and transparency in these situations.